Coaching Through Uncertainty: Building Trust With Skeptical Staff

Zoë Dehmer, MPS — 4 minute read
Change is rarely easy, even when it’s inevitable. As a leader, you may notice skepticism growing through cautious questions and whispered hallway conversations. 

As an industrial-organizational (I/O) psychologist and executive coach, I’ve learned that trust doesn’t just appear when you ask for it; it’s built through consistent, human-centered actions that help people feel safe enough to re-engage. Here’s how to start building that trust, even when the path ahead isn’t crystal clear.

Acknowledge the Uncertainty and Resist the Urge to Over-Assure

When leaders face staff skepticism, it’s tempting to lean on optimism: “Don’t worry, everything’s going to be great!” But that kind of reassurance can backfire. Employees know when leaders don’t have all the answers (and let’s be honest - you don’t! No one can predict with certainty the impact of a change on people). Pretending otherwise erodes credibility.

Instead, acknowledge the reality: “We’re still figuring out some of the details, and I know that’s uncomfortable” communicates honesty. It anchors people in truth, which is one of the most powerful antidotes to fear. A simple rule: don’t fill in unknowns with promises; fill them with transparency about what’s real today and what’s still unfolding.

  Idea to try: In your next update, name one thing that’s still uncertain and one concrete step being taken to find clarity. This combination of vulnerability and action builds psychological safety.
A simple rule: don’t fill in unknowns with promises; fill them with transparency about what’s real today and what’s still unfolding.
Zoë Dehmer, MPS

Tune Into Emotional Understories

Change doesn’t just challenge routines, it challenges identities, too. When a team member resists a new direction, it’s rarely about the change itself. It’s about loss of control, mastery, stability, or connection.

Ask yourself: What might this person be protecting? The person pushing back against the change hardest may actually care the most. Recognizing that emotion, rather than judging it, resets the tone from confrontation to curiosity. 


  Idea to try: Hold a short “listening huddle” where the goal isn’t to justify the change but to understand reactions. Record insights, thank people for their honesty, and share themes openly in follow-up conversations. Ask questions like:

  • “What worries you most about where we’re headed?”
  • “What would make it easier for you to adapt?”

Even if you can’t make the future predictable, you can make the process predictable.
Zoë Dehmer, MPS

Create Predictability Where You Can

From a psychological perspective, uncertainty is stressful because it disrupts predictability — one of the brain’s key drivers of safety. Even if you can’t make the future predictable, you can make the process predictable.

That means establishing communication rhythms and following through on them. Weekly updates, biweekly Q&A sessions, or any other space where people can reliably hear from you and voice concerns. Predictability in communication counterbalances the unpredictability of circumstances.

  Idea to try:
Pick one channel (e.g., Slack post, team email, or short video message) and commit to a predictable update cadence, even if the message is “No new changes this week.” Silence from leadership is fertile ground for rumors and false assumptions.

Lead Through Behavior, Not Just Words

Trust is ultimately a byproduct of behavior. Employees interpret credibility not through well-crafted messages about “transparency” or “collaboration” but through small, consistent actions.

If you’re asking people to take risks, are you demonstrating risk-taking yourself? If you’re preaching adaptability, are you modeling openness to feedback? When your actions reflect your words, your leadership activates mirror neurons, making people more likely to follow suit. It’s neuroscience translating into leadership impact.

  Idea to try: Share a personal moment of discomfort in your next all-hands meeting. For instance: “I’ve had to stretch my own thinking with this pivot. Here’s what I’ve learned and where I’m still challenged.” Model a growth mindset in real time.

Use Feedback Loops to Reinforce Trust

  Idea to try: End each team meeting with a 5-minute “pulse check.” Ask for one word that captures how people are feeling about the change. Track patterns over time. It’s a simple metric that reveals the emotional atmosphere long before performance dips. Speak openly about the themes you pick up on in future meetings.

Strengthen the Culture of Psychological Safety

Every trust-building effort ultimately ladders up to psychological safety, the shared belief that it’s safe to speak up, question, or make mistakes. This is the soil in which change takes root.
Leaders cultivate it by rewarding candor and curiosity, not just compliance. When someone voices concern, respond with gratitude rather than defensiveness. The goal isn’t to eliminate skepticism but to make it discussable.

Over time, you’ll notice a shift: the conversation moves from “Why are we doing this?” to “How can we make this work?” That pivot signals that trust is taking hold.
When someone voices concern, respond with gratitude rather than defensiveness. The goal isn’t to eliminate skepticism but to make it discussable.
Zoë Dehmer, MPS

Tying It All Together

Building trust in times of uncertainty is less about knowing every answer and more about demonstrating how you lead when you don’t know. It’s really about balancing two needs: people’s desire for stability and an organization’s need for growth. It’s not easy, but with persistence, your efforts will make a difference.
Leaders who navigate that balance gracefully tend to:

  1. Tell the truth, even when it’s incomplete.
  2. Listen deeply to what’s underneath the resistance.
  3. Create consistency in communication and behavior.
  4. Keep feedback active and visible.
  5. Protect psychological safety above all else.

When those conditions exist, skepticism often transforms into cautious optimism. And that’s the fertile ground where sustainable change begins.
written by

Zoë Dehmer

Zoë Dehmer is a certified executive coach and organizational development specialist with a Master’s in Applied Industrial/Organizational Psychology. She thrives at the intersection of people and process. Whether she’s coaching leaders, managing cross-functional teams, or analyzing performance data, her goal is the same: to create professional clarity and impact so people can live happier, richer lives. Zoë has partnered with government agencies, large corporations, and nonprofits to improve operations, culture, and collaboration. She grounds her coaching practice in empathy, curiosity, candid analysis, and behavior change—offering clients a thoughtful, strategic partner in navigating growth.

EDITED BY DR. RICHARD VAN ACKER
Learn more about working with Zoë here.

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